The other night on a usual late night Walmart run with the boyfriend, I stared at the makeup isles for quite some time. I needed my regular powder since mine was out and I knew I needed more eyeliner and almost bought another tube of my usual Almay eyeliner in black-brown since it's never failed me. Then I came across Revlon's Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen. The little brush liquid liners were the ones that I could never get the hang of, but this clearly said pen, so maybe...just maybe...it would really work? I put my faithful Almay back and decided to give the Revlon Pen a chance, doubting my choice all the way to checkout.

When I got home I opened up the new liner and gave it a go. It was so quick, easy, and flawless. I'm sold. I couldn't be happier that I've found a liquid liner that is actually easy to apply. The pen is felt so it's more steady than the little brushes in the usual liquid eyeliners. This stuff is around $7, but when you're buying liner (even in Walmart) that's about average - and totally worth every penny. So if you're looking for a new liner, give this a try! You just might love it!

*Disclaimer: My product reviews are strickly my own personal opinion. This blog receives no payment or other compensation for advertising. This blog receives no payment or other compensation for reviews of products or services. If I did not pay full retail price for a product being reviewed, I will explicitly state that in the review. Unless explicitly stated, I have no affiliation or relationship with the supplier of a product being reviewed.*

Thursday, December 22, 2011

I've never been one to make any new years resolutions but I think that since 2012 is somewhat of a new beginning for me, I might make a few.

To have perfect attendance at school so I can graduate on time.

Show more compassion to those I love.

Save at least $50 per month for something fun at the end of 2012

I have a lot of confidence in myself to make these happen. I have a hard time showing the people I love most that I really do care about them so I'm going to make sure they know I think about them often and that I enjoy them being a part of my life. The $50 per month will add up to a nice $600 that I could go on a nice trip with or buy myself something lovely. I already put aside money for emergencies but this will be a special little treat. The perfect attendance is going to be a challenge because I'm not a creature of habit and going to school Monday-Friday at the same hours every day is going to get old, real quick...but to graduate on time, which I need to do, I must make it happen.

Do you have any resolutions in mind already? Share them with me in the comments! I'd love to hear about them.

**Unfortunately, due to websites that do not require you to credit photo sources such as tumblr, it is hard to give credit to these artists. If you know who the artist is of any of these tattoos that weren't fully credited, please contact me and I will give full credit.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Introducing, Color Bug!!! I couldn't even wait for Ten Things Tuesday to come around for me to post about this stuff! I want one so bad! I love the idea of changing hair color so easily - I'll be at orientation tomorrow for cosmetology school, so you all know I love playing around with hair! This is like chalk for your hair. You just apply any type of product to your hair such as hairspray, dry shampoo, or wax & then you apply this on top of it. There is a video if you wanna see how it works. It's so vibrant and looks great! The only place I've really found to buy it is Ebay, this is for a color bug in orange (which is the color I want!) but it also comes in pink and purple. If any of you actually buy this before I do or have used it before, please let me know how much you love it!

Friday, December 16, 2011

I've been in such an icky mood the past few days. The sweet baby Paco picture is for anyone else that's been grumpy lately, I know that picture always makes me smile - he was so little and silly!

I would like to randomly say that my dishwasher currently sounds like some type of ocean creature (I'm thinking octopus) making noises in my kitchen.

Everything is getting on my nerves. Mainly customers at work (who need to read my grocery store etiquette post!) and probably the fact that I had to train a new employee for two out of three days I worked. But I guess it's a part of the job. Oh well. At least I got to let her run the register while I just bagged for most of the 2nd day and she caught on quickly so that's always nice.

I just started my three day weekend and I've got a few things to keep me busy so that's nice. I'll be attending Noah and Leah's wedding on Saturday and going to my school orientation on Monday.

I've been at home for the past few days and so I'm soaking up the puppy love, my boys are too sweet. Paco did bum me out before work this morning though - after he went potty he went back upstairs...I thought he was up to no good (as he usually is) so I went to check on him and he had gotten back in the bed to go to sleep. I was totally jealous and wanted to snuggle with him since he was so cute all sleepy but, of course, had to go to work.

Hopefully when Gregory comes over after he gets off work I'll be less grumpy! I've not seen him much this week and I don't like it. Looking forward to a good weekend though! Plus I get to spend all day Sunday with him!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

I'm currently obsessed with Black Mountain, after hearing it while getting tattooed the other day. Reminds me a bit of Gorillaz, which I also love. If you've not listened to either, please do yourself a favor & check 'em out!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

So I finally went to try on a pair of red skinny jeans like the ones I posted about in Ten Things Tuesday. I'm not a fan of standing out too much and I felt I couldn't stop staring at my legs. Maybe I'll be ready for red skinny jeans in the future but for now I settled for these cute black ones. I still wanted to incorporate red so I added a red cardigan too. This cardigan is the onlytrue red clothing item that I own, I promise - come check my closet! I've just never been a huge fan of the color - but it's growing on me. Plan on seeing me in this outfit a lot, it's so comfortable and easy!

Friday, December 9, 2011

I've worked in a grocery store since August of this year and I've kept mental notes about all the things that irk me while I'm at work. The number one thing that bothers me would totally be rude customers (obviously!). I've met a ton of interesting people during my time at this store but there are the few that have come across and broken these "rules" and aggravated me to death - but don't let me fool you, I just stand there with a smile on my face, only mentally wishing them out of the store. If you've ever worked as a cashier, anywhere, I'm sure you'll find yourself nodding at some of these.

1. Hang up your cell phone! This one bothers me, a lot. We can't talk to you if you're on your phone. We might need to tell you about something new going on in our store or let you know why your credit card isn't working. Sadly, I've seen people (who are on their cell phones) get frustrated and are really rude to the cashier because they, themselves, are not paying attention! Now that isn't really fair, is it? So please, hang up - look us in the eye, interact with us, and call your friend back later!

2. Have your discount card ready. But please don't shove it in our face or rattle off your phone number before you even let us ask, "How are you today?".

3. Use your inside voice. We all learn this when we're kids, what makes adults forget it? The cashier is 5 feet away from you, there is no need to speak louder than necessary. If you're yelling, we're probably ignoring you!

4. Read! Know the coupon policy and read your coupons! Coupons are for certain brands, amounts, and types of products. Don't get mad at us when you don't pick up the correct product for your coupon. Just because one type of certain product is marked down doesn't mean that the sister product is marked down as well. If the sale tag isn't directly below (or above, depending on the store) where that item is, it's probably not the same price! Signs in the stores do have fine print - read that, too, so you aren't surprised at checkout!

5. 15 or less means 15 or less! Don't act dumb, we know you saw the sign before you whipped that overflowing cart up to our register. We have that option available for customers who are in a hurry or for new cashiers who aren't ready for big orders yet. Yes, we will make exceptions for the polite people who are patiently waiting in another line and the store isn't busy but, please, respect those other customers who really do have a small order - it could be you on a different day.

6. Kids. Don't bring them with you if you know they're going to throw a fit! I'm not as bothered by this as much as most cashiers are, but it does get old when you're not paying us any attention at all because your kid is misbehaving. I will say: if a kid didn't get the candy they asked for at checkout and you didn't give in just to shut them up, I will applaud you - even if they kick and scream. I have seen many families come in with very well behaved children and I usually compliment them for it.

7. Help us bag! Especially if you're going to complain about how it's done by us and especially if you see us struggling to get it done alone. Sometimes the bagger is on break or gathering carts in the parking lot. Give us a hand, we appreciate it!

I really always thought that these things were common sense but I can say that about 50% of my shoppers break them on a daily basis. The other 50% is what I look forward to when I go to work. I've met a lady with a pet squirrel, a woman who comes in to purchase magazines that have published her articles, a man who tells me crazy stories and buys 3-4 cans of beer every time, a woman with hair that looks like a hat, an old couple that ask for their cold stuff to be put in plastic bags and the rest in paper, and a middle-aged woman that brings her elderly mother shopping every Wednesday. I look forward to seeing those people and many more who've slipped my mind at the moment. I do enjoy my job but please, next time you're in a store, think about these "rules". We really appreciate polite customers!

***

I do realize that not all cashiers are as polite as they should be, which really bums me out too. I've had my fair share of rude cashiers (and customers) but I do try to keep in mind that maybe that person is having a bad day. This post really just out of humor and meant to be taken lightly.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Jaycee's story is rather heart wrenching at times but to see how much she has grown because of what happened to her is reassuring. I found myself wondering at times if the story could even be real. Are there really people in our world that do horrible things like this? I find myself choosing to not recgonize the horrible people in this world that do things, such as the ones in this book, to innocent children. Her life really was taken away from her but she is still remarkably strong. This is definitely a recommended read!

If you don't feel like reading the book, check out Jaycee's interview with Diane Sawyer - you'll get a good amount of the book just from watching the video, but if you want the details - read it! It's a quick read and you probably won't be able to put it down.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Tired of boring envelopes and cardboard boxes? Want to spice up your shipping? I love receiving cute snail mail, so I try and mail cute snail mail. This idea came to me one day after shopping in World Market once I found all these cute owl bags. I've blurred out the addresses in the photo for obvious reasons, but the paper I wrote and taped them on was from some scrapbooking paper I had laying around. All you have to do is cut the handles off of a gift bag, put your gift inside (make sure you use bubble wrap to keep your gift safe), and then fold over and staple or tape it shut! The people at the post office always smiled when they saw what I was bringing in to mail. Sorry for the crappy photo quality, these were taken with cell & laptop cameras.

If anyone wants to be present penpals, I'd love to start mailing little presents like this. Maybe like a small $5 or handmade present each month or something fun like that. Snail mail is fun! I know I love seeing something other than bills in my mailbox. Send me an email if you're interested and I will swap addresses with you!

Friday, December 2, 2011

I am proud to say that I have yet to buy one single holiday related item and I don't plan on it. Yes, this includes gifts. No, I'm not a scrooge or against Christmas...I just really need to save my money. I think that too many people are spending too much money on gifts and decor when all that really matters is spending time together. I guess that's part of being a consumer though, stores make us believe we need all of these things to have a great Christmas. So I'm just going to sit back and listen to everyone else talk about their gifts and decorations they've bought, all while knowing my bank account will not be at all suffering due to societies expectations of what we should be doing for holidays. So for now, I'll just admire all the pretty stuff on Pinterest and possibly tackle some DIYs, only if I have the supplies at home. ;]

Thursday, December 1, 2011

My UNC-Charlotte class, Perspectives on Motherhood, is coming to an end. My professor (who I often brag about) gave us our final exam questions the other day and I can't help but get excited to write the essays for them. There are six (?!) essays to write and only three will be turned in, the topics are fun to write about. I'll admit, I'd rather write a 10 page paper than take a 20 question test, that probably makes me a huge dork but I don't care. Let me just share a couple of the topics I have to write about, they're fairly easy especially after reading a ton of articles about motherhood for our class. Feel free to leave me a comment telling me what your opinion is on these!

To father a child means to contribute the sperm that fertilizes an egg; to mother a child means to nurture & care for it. Obviously, women cannot father children; is it also true that men cannot mother them?

We spent a lot of time this semester critiquing the concept of the "good mother". Explain what this concept is, why it should be rejected, and why it does NOT mean that we should have no standards whatsoever for mother's actions.

And this made me think of a blog post that I just read earlier today. I'm a huge supporter of natural and home birth and I couldn't have said what she said better. Head on over to Dear Baby and read Melissa's post on natural birth. It's about the 3rd post down, sorry, I couldn't figure out how to direct link it to the specific post since for some reason I'm not able to click the post myself.